Devi Navaratri: Worship of Devi As Divine Mother

Devi Navaratri:
Worship of Devi as Divine Mother
Compiled by Tumuluru
Tumuluru Krishna Murty Anasuya C-66 Durgabai Deshmukh Colony Ahobil Mutt Road Hyderabad 500007 Ph: +91 (40) 2742 7083/ 8904 Typeset and formatted by: Desaraju Sri Sai Lakshmi
Picture courtesy: Desaraju Sri Sai Lakshmi
Table of Contents
Devi Navaratri: An Introduction ............................................................ 9 Vasanta Navaratri ................................................................................................................... 9 The Story of Vasanta Navaratri ....................................................................... 10 Sharad Navaratri ...................................................................................................................12 Forms of Shakti.......................................................................................................................12 Rituals .........................................................................................................................................12 First three days ................................................................................................ 13 Second three days ........................................................................................... 13 Final three days ............................................................................................... 13 Vijayadasami ...........................................................................................................................15 Victory of God Rama over Ravana ................................................................. 15 Victory of Durga Mata over Mahishasura ..................................................... 17 Homecoming of Durga Mata ....................................................................... 17 End of Agyatawas of Pandavas ........................................................................ 18 Kautsa's Guru Dakshina ..................................................................................... 19 Forms and manifestations of Shakti ...................................................... 21 The Three Facets of the Divine Female Principle..................................................21 Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati Represent Thoughts, Words and Actions .................................................................................................................................. 22 Prakrithi Shakti .................................................................................................... 23 The need to develop Will power ................................................................. 24 The concepts of Sathya and Ritha ................................................................... 25 Divine potencies of the three Goddesses ....................................................... 26 The way to enter the spiritual path ............................................................. 27 Human Intellect Is To Be Used For Righteous Actions ........................ 29 The Mother Divine ............................................................................... 31
Principles that constitute the role of motherhood.................................................. 33 The powers of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati ............................................. 34 Children require mother's loving grace .......................................................... 35 Mother comes first .............................................................................................. 36 Worship of God as energy principle ............................................................................ 37 True relatives of man .......................................................................................... 38 Compassion is the true friend. .......................................................................... 38 Worship of Devi as divine mother .................................................................. 39 The quest for Truth.............................................................................................. 42 Spiritual truth of Navaratri .................................................................. 43 Inner Significance of Navaratri Festival ................................................................... 43 The role of Nature in the creative process ..................................................... 44 Maintain steadiness of mind during worship ................................................ 45 Adoration of Nature ............................................................................................ 46 The power of Mantra .......................................................................................... 47 Principle of oneness ............................................................................................ 47 Ways of Worship.................................................................................................................... 55 Inner meaning of Dasara festival ..................................................................... 61 The true meaning of Angaarpana Puja ........................................................... 62 Index .................................................................................................... 65 Bibliography ......................................................................................... 67
Devi Navaratri: An Introduction

Navaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. The word Navaratri literally means nine nights in Sanskrit, Nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are worshiped. The tenth day is commonly referred to as Vijayadasami or "Dussehra." Navaratri is a very important and major festival. Navaratri is celebrated five times a year. They are Vasanta Navaratri, Ashadha Navaratri, the Sharad Navaratri, and the Paush/ Magha Navaratri. Of these, the Sharad Navaratri of the month of Puratashi and the Vasanta Navaratri of the Vasanta kala are the most important.
Vasanta Navaratri
This is celebrated during Vasanta Rhitu (beginning of summer) (March- April). This is also known as Chaitra Navaratri as it falls during the lunar month of Chaitra.
Devi Navaratri: Worship of Devi as Divine Mother
The Story of Vasanta Navaratri

In days long gone by, King Dhruvasindhu was killed by a lion when he went out hunting. Preparations were made to crown the prince Sudarsana. But, King Yudhajit of Ujjain, the father of Queen Lilavati, and King Virasena of Kalinga, the father of Queen Manorama, were each desirous of securing the Kosala throne for their respective grandsons. They fought with each other. King Virasena was killed in the battle. Manorama fled to the forest with Prince Sudarsana and a eunuch. They took refuge in the hermitage of Rishi Bharadwaja. The victor, King Yudhajit, thereupon crowned his grandson, Satrujit, at Ayodhya, the capital of Kosala. He then went out in search of Manorama and her son. The Rishi said that he would not give up those who had sought protection under him. Yudhajit became furious. He wanted to attack the Rishi. But, his minister told him about the truth of the Rishis statement. Yudhajit returned to his capital. Fortune smiled on Prince Sudarsana. A hermits son came one day and called the eunuch by his Sanskrit name Kleeba. The prince caught the first syllable Kli and began to pronounce it as Kleem. This syllable happened to be a powerful, sacred Mantra. It is the Bija Akshara (root syllable) of the Divine Mother. The Prince obtained peace of mind and the Grace of the Divine Mother by the repeated utterance of this syllable. Devi appeared to him, blessed him and granted him divine weapons and an inexhaustible quiver.
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The emissaries of the king of Benares passed through the Ashram of the Rishi and, when they saw the noble prince Sudarsana, they recommended him to Princess Sashikala, the daughter of the king of Benares. The ceremony at which the princess was to choose her spouse was arranged. Sashikala at once chose Sudarsana. They were duly wedded. King Yudhajit, who had been present at the function, began to fight with the king of Benares. Devis helped Sudarsana and his father-in-law. Yudhajit mocked Her, upon which Devi promptly reduced Yudhajit and his army to ashes. Thus Sudarsana, with his wife and his father-in-law, praised Devi. She was highly pleased and ordered them to worship her with havan and other means during the Vasanta Navaratri. Then she disappeared. Prince Sudarsana and Sashikala returned to the Ashram of Rishi Bharadwaja. The great Rishi blessed them and crowned Sudarsana as the king of Kosala. Sudarsana and Sashikala and the king of Benares implicitly carried out the commands of the Divine Mother and performed worship in a splendid manner during the Vasanta Navaratri. Sudarsanas descendants Sri Rama and Lakshmana also performed worship of Devi during the Sharad Navaratri and were blessed with Her assistance in the recovery of Sita.
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Sharad Navaratri
Commences on the first and ends on the tenth day of the bright half of the lunar month Aswayuja/Asvina.
Forms of Shakti
Nine forms of Shakti are worshipped during the Navaratris. The Devis worshipped depend on the tradition of the region. Durga, the inaccessible one Bhadrakali Amba or Jagadamba, Mother of the universe Annapoorna devi, The one who bestows grains (anna) in plenty (purna: used as subjective) Sarvamangala, The one who gives joy (mangal) to all (sarva) Bhairavi Chandika or Chandi Lalita Bhavani Mookambika
Rituals
Navaratri commences on the first day (pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Ashvin. The festival is celebrated for nine nights once every year during the beginning of October, although as the dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar, the festival may be held for a day more or a day less.
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Navaratri is celebrated in different ways throughout India. The Chaitra Navaratri culminates in Ram Navami and the Sharad Navaratri culminates in Durga Puja and Dussehra. Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore three different aspects of the supreme goddess or goddesses.
First three days
The goddess is separated a spiritual force called Durga also known as Kali in order to destroy all our, evil and grants boons.
Second three days
The Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees inexhaustible wealth, as she is the goddess of wealth.
Final three days
The final set of three days is spent in worshiping the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati. In order to have all-round success in life, believers seek the blessings of all three aspects of the divine femininity, hence the nine nights of worship. Eighth day is traditionally Durgashtami which is big in Bengal and Bihar In some parts of South India, Saraswati puja is performed on the 9th day. Ayudha Puja is conducted in many parts of South India on the Mahanavami (Ninth) day with much fanfare. Weapons, agricultural implements, all kinds of tools, equipments, machinery and automobiles are decorated and worshipped on this day along with the worship of Goddess. The work starts
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afresh from the next day, i.e. the 10th day which is celebrated as 'Vijaya Dasami'. In North India, as the culmination of the Ramlila which is enacted ceremoniously during Dussehra, the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna, and Meghanada are burnt to celebrate the victory of good (Rama) over evil forces on the 'Vijaya Dasami' day. Navaratri is also a period of introspection and purification, and is traditionally an auspicious and religious time for starting new ventures. During this vowed religious observance, a pot is installed (ghatasthapana) at a sanctified place at home. A lamp is kept lit in the pot for nine days. The pot symbolises the universe. The uninterrupted lit lamp is the medium through which we worship the effulgent Adishakti, i.e. Sree Durgadevi. During Navaratri, the principle of Sree Durgadevi is more active in the atmosphere. Navaratri is celebrated in a large number of Indian communities. The mother goddess is said to appear in 9 forms, and each one is worshiped for a day. These nine forms signify various traits that the goddess influences us with. The Devi Mahatmya and other texts invoking the Goddess who vanquished demons are cited. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
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Vijayadasami
Vijayadasami also known as Dashahara, Dussehra, Dashain (in Nepal), Navaratri or Durgotsav is one of the most important Hindu festivals celebrated in various forms, across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The name Dussehra is derived from Sanskrit Dasha-hara literally means removal of ten referring to Lord Rama's victory over the ten-headed demon king Ravana. The day also marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the demons Mahishasur. The name Vijayadasami is also derived from the Sanskrit words "Vijaya-dashmi" literally meaning the victory on the dashmi (Dashmi being the tenth lunar day of the Hindu calendar month).
Victory of God Rama over Ravana

On this day in the Treta Yug, Rama, also called Sri Ram, the seventh avatar of Vishnu, killed the great demon Ravana who had abducted Rama's wife Sita to his kingdom of Lanka. Rama, his brother Lakshmana, their follower Hanuman and an army of monkeys fought a great battle to rescue Sita. The entire narrative is recorded in the epic Ramayana, a Hindu scripture. Rama had performed "Chandi Homa" and invoked the blessings of Durga, who blessed Rama with secret knowledge of the way to kill Ravana. On the day of Ashvin Shukla Dasami, Rama's party found Sita and defeated Ravana. Thus it is termed as Vijaya Dasami. Based on the inferences from Valmikis Ramayana, Kalidass Raghuvans, Tulsidass Ram Charit Manas, and Keshavdas's Ram Chandra Yas Chandrika as well as common perception in India, Rama, Sita, and of Lakshmana returned to
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Ayodhya on the 30th day of Ashvin (1920 days after Vijayadasami). To mark the return of Lord Rama, in the evening, the residents of Ayodhya lit their city with millions of earthen lamps (called Deepak). Since then, this day is celebrated in India as Deepawali or Diwali. Many people perform "Aditya Homa" as a "Shanti Yagna" and recite Sundara Kanda of Srimad Ramayana for 5 days. These Yagna performances are thought to create powerful agents in the atmosphere surrounding the house that will keep the household environment clean and healthy. These rituals are intended to rid the household of the ten bad qualities, which are represented by 10 heads of Ravana as follows: Kama vasana (Lust) Krodha (Anger) Moha (Delusion) Lobha (Greed) Mada (Over Pride) Maatsarya (Jealousy) Manas (Mind) Buddhi (Intellect) Chitta (Will) Ahamkara (Ego). Some householders perform Yagnas thrice daily along with Sandhya Vandana, which is also called Aahavaneeya Agni, Grahapatya Agni or Dakshina Agni. In addition, the Aditya Homa is performed with the Maha Surya Mantras and the Aruna Prapathaka of the Yajurveda. These mantras are believed to keep
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the heart, brain and digestive functions in balance in the absence of adequate sunlight in the winter months.
Victory of Durga Mata over Mahishasura

Some of the demons, or Asuras, were very powerful and ambitious and continually tried to defeat the Devas, or Gods, and capture Heaven. One Asura, Mahishasura, in the form of a buffalo, grew very powerful and created havoc on the earth. Under his leadership, the Asuras defeated the Devas. The world was crushed under Mahishasura's tyranny; the Devas joined their energies into Shakti, a single mass of incandescent energy, to kill Mahishasura. A very powerful band of lightning emerged from the mouths of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and a young, beautiful female virgin with ten hands appeared. All the Gods gave their special weapons to her. This Shakti coalesced to form the goddess Durga. Riding on a lion, who assisted her, Durga fought Mahishasura. The battle raged for nine days and nights. Finally on the tenth day of Ashvin shukla paksha, Mahishasura was defeated and killed by Durga. Hence Dasara is also known as Navaratri or Durgotsav and is a celebration of Durga's victory. Durga, as Consort of Lord Shiva, represents two forms of female energy - one mild and protective and the other fierce and destructive.
Homecoming of Durga Mata
Daksha, the Lord of the Earth, and his wife Prasuti, had a daughter called Sati. As a child, Sati started worshipping Lord Shiva as her would-be-husband. Lord Shiva was pleased with the
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Sati's worship of him and married her. Daksha was against their marriage but could not prevent it. Daksha arranged a yagna to which everyone except Lord Shiva was invited. Sati, feeling ashamed of her father's behaviour and shocked by the attitude meted towards her husband, killed herself. Lord Shiva was anguished when he discovered this. He lifted Sati's body on his shoulders and started dancing madly. As the supreme power was dancing with wrath, the world was on the verge of destruction. Then Lord Narayana came forward as a saviour and used his Chakra to cut Sati's body into pieces. Those pieces fell from the shoulders of the dancing Shiva and scattered throughout the Indian subcontinent. Shiva was pacified when the last piece fell from his shoulder. Lord Narayana revived Sati. The places where the pieces of Sati fell are known as the "Shakti Piths" or energy pits. Kalighat in Kolkata, Kamakshya near Guwahati and Vaishnav Devi in Jammu are three of these places. In her next birth, Sati was born as Parvati or Shaila-Putri (First form of Durga), the daughter of Himalaya. Lord Narayana asked Shiva to forgive Daksha. Ever since, peace was restored and Durga with her children Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kartikeya, Ganesh and her two sakhis - Jaya and Vijaya visit her parents each year during the season of Sharatkal or autumn, when Durga-Puja is celebrated.
End of Agyatawas of Pandavas

In the age of Dwapara Yuga, Pandavas - the five acknowledged sons of Pandu by his two wives Kunti and Madri - lost to Kauravas in a game of dice, and both spent twelve years of Vanawas, or exile to the forest, followed by one year of
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Agnyatawas. The brothers hid their weapons in a hole in a Shami tree before entering the Kingdom of Virat to complete the final year of Agnyatawas. After that year, on Vijayadasami, they recovered the weapons, declared their true identities and defeated Kauravas, who had attacked King Virat to steal his cattle. Since that day, Shami trees and weapons have been worshipped and the exchange of Shami leaves on Vijayadasami has been a symbol of good will and victory. This is also called Shami/Jammi Puja.
Kautsa's Guru Dakshina

Kautsa, the young son of a Brahmin called Devdatt, lived in the city of Paithan. After completing his education with Rishi Varatantu, he insisted on his guru accepting Guru Dakshina, a present. The guru said, "Kautsa, to give dakshina in return for learning wisdom is not appropriate. Graduation of the disciple makes the guru happy, and that is the real Guru Dakshina." Kautsa was not satisfied. He still felt it was his duty to give his guru something. The guru said, "All right, if you insist on giving me dakshina, then give me 140 million gold coins, 10 million for each of the 14 sciences I have taught you." Kautsa went to King Raghu. Raghuraja was an ancestor of Lord Rama, famous for his generosity. But just at that time he had spent all his money on the Brahmins, after performing the Vishvajit sacrifice. Raghuraja asked Kautsa to return in three days. Raghuraja immediately left to get the gold coins from Indra. Indra summoned Kuber, the god of wealth. Indra told
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Kuber, "Make rain full of gold coins, fall on the Shanu and Aapati trees around Raghuraja's city of Ayodhya." The rain of gold coins began to fall. King Raghu gave all the coins to Kautsa, and Kautsa hastened to offer the coins to Varatantu Rishi. Guru had asked only 140 millions, so he gave the rest back to Kautsa. Kautsa was not interested in money, considering honour to be more valuable than wealth. He asked the king to take the remaining gold coins back. But the king refused, as kings do not take back the daan (gift). Finally Kautsa distributed the gold coins to the people of Ayodhya on the day of Ashvin shukla Dasami. In remembrance of this event, there has been a custom of plucking the leaves of the Aapati tree, and then people present these leaves to one another as gold. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Vijayadasami is the day when the evil-minded Ravana, who was well versed in all the sciences and was very powerful, was destroyed. The Suddha Paadyami in the Aasayuja month was the day in which the combined powers of the three goddesses, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, (Ichcha Shakti , Kriya Shakti and Jnaana Shakti) put an end to the evil forces represented by Mahishasura (the buffalo-headed demon). Vijayadasami is also the day when the Asura King, Ravana, was destroyed and Sri Rama was crowned at Ayodhya. It is the day on which the great Emperor Vikramaditya ascended his bejewelled throne acquired as a boon. It is also the anniversary of the passing of the founder of Jainism, Mahavira. (SSS Vol.21)
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Forms and manifestations of Shakti

During the Dasara festival, the three Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswatiare worshipped according to certain traditional practices. The tenth day of the festival is celebrated as the Day of Victory. The celebration has its roots deep in the ancient history of Bharat. In the Dwapara Yuga, when the Pandavas had to spend one year incognito, they hid all their asthras (weapons), on the advice of Krishna, in a Jammi tree which is thick in foliage and whose branches are filled with latent fire. Vijayadasami was the day on which they retrieved the weapons from the tree and used them to win victory over the Kauravas. Earlier, in the Treta Yuga, Sri Rama's coronation, after his victorious return to Ayodhya from Lanka, was performed on Vijayadasami day.
The Three Facets of the Divine Female Principle

What is Dasara? The celebration of Dasara festival is meant to purify the actions performed by the dasendriyas (5 senses of action plus 5 senses of perception). Every human being in this world has to perform some kind of karma. The presiding deity or the driving force behind these actions is Devi, who is the
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personification of energy. She is the bestower of all kinds of energy to perform various kinds of karma by the human beings. Goddess Lakshmi bestows various kinds of wealth like money, food grains, gold, different kinds of objects, vehicles for movement, etc., to human beings so that they can lead a happy life in this world. The third facet of the divine female principle is Saraswati, the goddess of learning and intellect. Thus, the Trinity of Durga (goddess of energy), Lakshmi (goddess of wealth) and Saraswati (goddess of learning and intellect) are worshipped during this festival of Dasara. This is the underlying principle of worshipping this Trinity of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati during this Navaratri (9 day) festival. It is essential that man worships all these three facets of the Divine Principle. Tridalam Trigunakaram Trinetram Cha Triyayudham; Trijanma Papa Samharam Eka Bilvam Sivarpanam. (One Bilva leaf with three petals is offered to the three-eyed Lord Siva who is the embodiment of the three Gunas (attributes), who holds the trident in his hand and who destroys the sins accumulated over three births.) (SSS Vol.41), 9-10-2008
Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati Represent Thoughts, Words and Actions

Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are worshipped during the Dasara celebrations. Durga is not to be understood as a ferocious goddess. She is the goddess supreme who protects you.
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Lakshmi is the embodiment of all wealth. Then, Saraswati is the goddess of speech. Good thoughts, good words and good actions (behaviour) represent the tatwa (nature) of these three goddesses. He who teaches good things to you is verily the embodiment of goddess Saraswati. He who teaches evil is verily a demon. Goddess Durga destroys only such demons. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are, in fact, not different from you. They are very much installed in your own heart. They exhort you to lead the life of a human being, since you are a human being. Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are the three mothers to a human being. You should treasure these good words in your heart and put them into action. Thereby you should come up in life and set an example to others. You should, by your example, spread the message to the world that Bharatiya Vidya is great. There are several people in the modern world imparting education that leads to evil ways. You should denounce such education. You should not go after it. You must enquire, will it help to purify my heart or not. If you feel it is not conducive to your progress, you must give it up immediately. It is only when you are able to satisfy your conscience that your life will be happy, peaceful and contented. Do naamasmarnam incessantly. (SSS Vol.39), 28-92006
Prakrithi Shakti
Durga represents the prodigious Prakrithi Shakti (power of Nature). As against this power of Nature, is the Para Shakti (the power of the Spirit). When spiritual power is predominant, the power of Nature is kept under control. When spiritual power is weak, the power of Nature becomes predominant. This is
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illustrated by the example of smoke and fire. When smoke is predominant, the fire is suppressed. When the fire is blazing, the smoke vanishes. Hence, to enhance the power of the Spirit and limit the power of Nature, man has to cultivate Vairagya (detachment). To the extent the power of Nature is under control, to that extent spiritual power grows.
The need to develop Will power
Ichcha-Shakti (the potency of Will) arises from thoughts. This Ichcha-Shakti is the source of several other potencies like intellectual power, the discriminating capacity and others. To develop this Ichcha-Shakti (Will power), one has to worship Devi. This calls for the cultivation of thyaga (renunciation or detachment). For instance, if one has a desire for various drinks, he can bring the desires under control by giving up, to begin with, the desire for some of them. Thereby the Ichcha-Shakti (Will power) is developed and in due course it becomes easier to give up other desires. In Vedantic parlance this is described as Vairagya (renouncing all attachments). Vairagya is not abandonment of hearth and home and retiring to a forest. It means developing Godly thoughts and reducing worldly feelings. It is when this balanced development takes place that one acquires Prakrithi-Shakti (control over the power of Nature). When these powers are got, the mental power in a person increases.
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Durga represents the Prakrithi-Shakti and Lakshmi represents the Thought power--Sankalpa-Shakti. Vaak-Shakti, the power of speech, is represented by Saraswati. It is to acquire these three powers that the various forms of worship are performed during the Navaratri festival. But prayers alone are not enough. Prayers issue from the lips. They should emanate from the heart. The Hridaya (heart) symbolises the Ksheerasagara (Ocean of Milk). Lakshmi emerged from the ocean of Milk. When Lakshmi emerges, purity of speech follows. Whatever you speak conforms to truth. (SSS Vol.25), 4 Oct 1992
The concepts of Sathya and Ritha

There are two concepts: Sathya (truth) and Ritha (conduct based on unity of thought, word and deed). The triple purity of mind, speech and body is Ritha. To adhere to Ritha and speak and act accordingly is Truth. What is uttered with this triple purity is alone Truth, not other words. The ancients have declared that adherence to the truth is Dharma (Righteousness). There is no higher Dharma than Truth---Sathyaannaasthi paro Dharmah. Without the firm foundation of Truth, the mansion of Dharma cannot stand. A life built upon sankalpa (desires) cannot last. The mansion of desires must be converted into a Mansion of Divine Will (Ichcha-Bhavanam). When the Ichcha-Shakti (Will Power) is converted into Kriya-Shakti (power of action), it results in Jnaana-Shakti (the power of Wisdom). It is through this Divine Wisdom that spiritual liberation Kaivalyam is secured. (SSS Vol.25), 4 Oct 1992
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Divine potencies of the three Goddesses

The Navaratri festival should not be observed as a festival for worshipping the consorts of Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma. These Goddesses symbolise Divine potencies. All these potencies are derived from Vishnu. The entire cosmos is a manifestation of the myriad forms of Vishnu. People must recognise this oneness underlying the different forms. All beings breathe the same air as their life-breath. Likewise all the five basic elements arc common to all. These elements are the stuff of Nature. But in the Para Thathwa (the Supreme Principle, the Divine), these do not exist. The elements are mortal. The Divine is immortal. To proceed from the mortal to the immortal the easiest means is the cultivation of Prema (Divine Love). The heart is like a sky wherein the clouds in the form of thoughts hide the Buddhi (the intellect) and the Mind representing the sun and the moon. Vairagya is the means to get rid of thoughts and the desires arising from them. The Devi Puja performed during Navaratri is intended to get rid of worldly attachments and divert the mind towards God. There are four different qualities in man: humanness, the animal nature, the demonic nature and the Divine nature. When man follows the dictates of the body, he is a prey to his animal nature. When he is subject to the vagaries of the mind, he becomes demonic. When he is following the Atma, he is manifesting his Divinity. When he is governed by all three--the body, the mind and the Atma--he is human. (SSS Vol.25), 4 Oct 1992
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The way to enter the spiritual path
When Ravana fell a victim to the promptings of the mind, his demonic nature predominated over his other good qualities as a worshipper of Shiva and a master of many sciences. Whenever a desire arises in the mind, one should exercise the power of discrimination and decide whether it is good or bad. This is the way to enter on the spiritual path. Each person has to decide for himself in which of these four states he is placed. The Atmic principle is fundamental and everyone should strive to fortify the heart for spiritual ends. This heart is not the physical heart. It is the abode of the Spirit and is located in the spinal column between the ninth and twelfth vertebrae. It shines like lightning in the core of a dark cloud. This is called Sushumna. Sushumna refers to the state in which all the sensory organs are subdued and the mind and desires are under control. It is not the state of deep sleep, as is interpreted by some. The terms used by the Vedantins (spiritual philosophers) should be understood in their deeper sense. This is a difficult exercise. The easier path is to love God with a pure and unwavering mind. Tukaram confessed that he was unacquainted with the techniques of meditation or the rules for performing sacrifices. "Oh Rama! The only method I know to attain you is to love you with a pure heart! Let me have your grace for cherishing this love," he declared.
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The Ozone layer above the earth faces great danger owing to atmospheric pollution and intensive afforestation is essential for controlling this pollution and safeguarding the Ozone layer. The Navaratri festival was celebrated by kings in olden days for propitiating Nature before embarking on wars of conquest. The Navaratri festival has another significance also. It is intended to secure victory over the Navagrahas (nine planets). Saint Thyagaraja, however, declared that if only he has Rama's Anugraha (grace), the Navagrahas would be utterly powerless. Men today should not seek the earthly victories sought by the ancient rulers. They should seek the sovereignty of the Atmasaamraajyam (Kingdom of the Spirit) within them. This calls for control over the senses and the eschewing of bad qualities like anger, greed and jealousy. This sadhana must begin from now itself when you are young. Do not put it off for your old age. The students are well behaved while they are here. But they should carry their good conduct wherever they may be. Only then will they serve to reform the world. Just as people of all faiths live in harmony here, you should live in harmony with people of other faiths in whatever country you may live. You will be serving your Motherland well only when you set the example to the world. (SSS Vol.25), 4 Oct 1992
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Human Intellect Is To Be Used For Righteous Actions
Everyone performs Devi Puja (worshipping goddess Devi) during the Navaratri festival, which confers energy on the individual. The worship of Lakshmi brings all kinds of wealth and that of Saraswati, learning and good intellect. Hence, the worship of all the three aspects of goddess is very important during the Navaratri festival. In all this worship, Dharma (righteousness) is of utmost importance. One should enquire into oneself what result would accrue on account of a particular action and then get into it. This reasoning faculty is in the domain of the intellect (buddhi), which is all-pervading in the human body. Just as the electric current passes through the wire, intellect enters and influences all senses of a human being. Hence, every human being should make proper use of his intellect and undertake only righteous actions at all times. No doubt, one is bound by the result of ones own actions good or bad. And, no result is possible without performing an action. The Pandavas experienced the result of their karmas. So did Sita in Ramayana. Hence, we should undertake good and sacred karmas beneficial to the society, thereby sanctifying our lives. The left side of the chest of Lord Mahavishnu is the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. Seated in that sacred abode, she showers her grace on one and all. (SSS Vol.41), 9-10-2008
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The mere removal of hate from the heart will not ensure Ananda. Love too should be cultivated. That is to say, uproot hate and plant love. If the absence of hate ensures Bhakti, hill and anthill, tree and twig, mud and mountain-what do these hate? They have no dislikes. But for this reason, do we ascribe Bhakti to them at all? We do not, for that would be absurd. The Bhakta must first be free from hate and full of Love. Hate breeds fear, hate is the seedbed of anxiety, scandal and falsehood. It drains your mind of peace. You may have light without oil, fire without smoke, breeze without a bearer fanning you, a chilliness in the air of your room in the sizzling heat of summer--but, unless you are at peace with yourselves and with those around you, your pulse will be quick and your blood will be racing in rage and rancor. Love alone can alleviate anxiety and allay fear. - Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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The Mother Divine

Sthree symbolises the three gunas in women. The world is a manifestation of the three gunas, (Satwa, Rajas and Tamas). The Divine is worshipped as "Devi". The term "Devi" refers to the feminine aspect. The term Sthree is used to denote a woman. There are three syllables in this term' Sa, Tha and Ra. "Sa" symbolises the Satwic aspect of a person. The Satwic quality is the very first quality that manifests in man. The feeling of love develops from the mother. It is impossible to describe the nature of maternal love. The mother converts her own blood into love and gives it as milk to feed the child. Therefore, the first quality represented by "Sa", is the Satwic quality. The second syllable is "Tha". This does not represent thathwa or Tamas. In the term Sthree, the syllable "tha" represents bashfulness, modesty, self-esteem and such traits which are characteristics of women. Shyness is a predominant trait in women. They attach great value to their honour and reputation. It is because of these sacred qualities that their Tamasic aspect is significant. The common view regarding the Tamasic quality does not apply to them. The third quality, symbolised by the syllable "Ra", is Rajas. Such qualities as sacrifice and high-mindedness in women reflect the Rajasic aspect of their nature. When necessary, women will be prepared
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even to sacrifice their lives to safeguard their honour. Without regard to the difficulties and troubles they may encounter, women are ready to make any sacrifice to protect their honour and self-respect. When the Tamasic elements attempt to subvert the Satwic qualities, they are ready to combat and vanquish them. (SSS Vol.24), 18-10-1991 Everyone should consider it his foremost duty today to revere the mother as divine and serve her, regardless of country or circumstance. If a man cannot respect and serve the mother, who has borne him for nine months, brought him forth into the world and reared him over the years, whom else is he likely to respect? Maternal love is akin to that of the Creator who projects and protects this infinite cosmos in countless ways. One individual may elect to worship the Divine in the form of his favourite goddess. Another may worship God in a different form and derive bliss from such worship. Each one should note that the forms in which the Divine is worshipped by others are as important to them as his own chosen deity is to him. If, on the contrary, he criticises or casts a slur on the deities worshipped by others, he is committing a grievous sin, however well he may be performing his own worship. Likewise, a man should show equal regard and reverence for mothers of others as he shows for his own mother. There are several notable examples in daily life of the divine quality which motherhood represents. The cow converts its own blood into nourishing milk for man to sustain his body. The cow is the first example of the Divine as Mother. The Earth comes next. Like the Divine, the Earth bears man in its bosom and takes
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The Mother Divine
care of him in many ways. Hence the Earth also is the embodiment of the Mother. (SSS Vol.21), 14 Oct 1988
Principles that constitute the role of motherhood

In the human body the Divine flows through all the limbs as Rasa (The Divine essence) and sustains them. This Divine principle is called Rasaswaroopini (Embodiment of Divine sweetness). Another name for the same is Angirasa. These Divine principles that permeate and sustain the physical body should also be worshipped as mother goddesses. Then there are the great sages, the Maharishis, who investigated matters relating to good and evil, fight and wrong, what elevates man or degrades him, and, as a result of their labours and penances, gave to mankind the great scriptures, indicating the spiritual and mundane paths and how humanity can redeem its existence. These sages have also to be revered as Divine Mothers. The cow, the earth, the presiding deities for the body, the sages and the guru are all worthy of worship as the embodiments of the Divine Motherhood. Although these five appear in different forms and names, they have one thing in common with the mother. They play a protective and sustaining maternal role for mankind and hence should be revered and worshipped as Divine Mothers. Conversely, the mother of every child displays in relation to the child the attributes of these five entities. The mother nourishes the child, provides the necessaries for its growth, teaches the
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child what it should know and what it should avoid and leads it on the path of righteousness. (SSS Vol.21), 14 Oct 1988
The powers of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati

The life of a man who cannot respect and love such a venerable mother is utterly useless. Recognising one's mother as the very embodiment of all divine forces, one must show reverence to her and treat her with love. This is the true message that the Navaratri, the nine-night festival gives us. The supreme Shakti manifests herself in the form of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Durga grants to us energy--physical, mental and spiritual. Lakshmi bestows on us wealth of many kinds--not just money but intellectual wealth, the wealth of character and others. Even health is a kind of wealth. She grants untold riches to us. And Saraswati bestows on us intelligence, the capacity for intellectual enquiry and the power of discrimination. The Navaratri festival is celebrated in order to proclaim to the world the power of the goddesses. One's own mother is the combination of all these Divine beings. She provides us energy, wealth and intelligence. She constantly desires our advancement in life. So she represents all the three goddesses that we worship during the Navaratri festival. If the Pandavas were able to become so dear to Krishna and make their lives worthy by serving Him, it was not on account of their own merit or austerities. It was mother Kunti Devi's love for them that brought to them such a great fortune. Even when they had to live in a forest or in the House of Wax, she always
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The Mother Divine
stayed with them and prayed for their welfare. The Pandavas also reciprocated her love, and that accounts for their final victory. Lakshmana, likewise, was able to dwell in the forest with his brother Rama, serving him ceaselessly, only because of his mother Sumitra's blessings. She told her son that Ayodhya without Rama was like a forest, and that the forest in which Rama lived would be a veritable Ayodhya to him. It was on account of the hearty blessings of his mother that Lakshmana was able to while away fourteen years in the forest even without food or sleep. (SSS Vol.21), 14 Oct 1988
Children require mother's loving grace

All our epics and sacred books emphasise the power of the mother's love, her blessings and grace. Consider the story of Gandhari and the Kauravas. When Krishna visited Gandhari to console her after the Kurukshetra war, she accused him of partiality towards the Pandavas. "Though You are God, how could You be so partial? Why did You support the Pandavas in full measure, and allow the destruction of all my sons?" she asked Him. Krishna replied to her that she herself was to blame for the death of her children. He reminded her that though she gave birth to a hundred sons, she didn't cast her loving glance on even one of them at any time. As she chose to remain blindfolded, she never looked at any of her sons with great care, attention and affection. "How could such sinners who couldn't even enjoy their own mother's loving glance thrive and flourish?" He asked her.
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There is no need to propitiate Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati for energy, material prosperity and worldly knowledge. If we love and adore the mother, we shall be showing our love and devotion to all goddesses. (SSS Vol.21), 14 Oct 1988
Mother comes first

One's mother is greater than heaven itself. Sri Rama Himself declared that one's mother and Motherland are greater than even heaven. The Navaratri festival teaches this profound truth. One must remember that reverence to one's own mother is one's paramount duty. If one's mother is unhappy, all the expenditure one incurs and all the worship one offers in the name of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati in the Navaratri festival will yield no fruit. Even in the ancient teachings about the persons who are to be revered as Gods--mother, father, teacher and guest--the first place is given to the mother, when it says, "Mathru Devo Bhava." Even in our casual talk we say mother, father, teacher and God. God is relegated to the last position but the mother is given the first place. This reveals the attitude of Bharathiya culture towards women in general and the mother in particular. It is the mother that holds the child with her hand and teaches it how to walk. It is the mother that feeds the child and teaches it how to eat. It is again the mother that teaches the child how to utter meaningful sounds and speak. Thus the mother is one's foremost teacher. Vemana observed that a son who does not care
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The Mother Divine
for his parents is no better than the worms that are born and die in an anthill. We should deem our parents as Eswara and Parvathi and serve them wholeheartedly. If we cannot please them, how can we hope to please God? Consider the story of Lava and Kush. Sita gave birth to them in the hermitage of Sage Valmiki. They were taught various branches of knowledge by him. Sita also was teaching them many lessons and imparting to them many skills. What happened when Sri Rama Himself came to fight with them? Lava and Kush remembered their mother with great reverence and aimed an arrow at Him. Rama fell into a swoon when the arrow struck Him. Such is the power of one's mother's blessing. (SSS Vol.21), 14 Oct 1988
Worship of God as energy principle

Truth is your true mother and Wisdom the true father, Dharma is the true brother and Compassion the true friend; The true wife is Peace and the true son Forgiveness These six are in fact the true relations of man. [Sanskrit sloka] In this world, every individual has a mother. The entire humanity has also one mother, and we should try to know her. This mother is Truth. Those who follow this mother will never face any problems in life. This mother, Truth, remains the same in all periods of time and in all three worlds, and this mother transcends all the three
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attributes satwa (purity, serenity), rajas (passion), and tamas (dullness, inertia). The physical mother may die or go to some other place, but this divine mother, Truth, remains one and the same beyond time and space and to every individual. It is therefore necessary that every person follow this noble, divine mother (Truth). (SSS Vol.31)
True relatives of man

Who is father? Wisdom is the true father. Wisdom is not ephemeral, mundane, physical, secular knowledge. Advaita darshanam jnanam (Wisdom confers the experience of nonduality). So, Truth and Wisdom are the true mother and father of man. Dharma is the brother. Dharma may vary depending upon time, country, religion, and tradition. However, dharma is loved by the entire humanity irrespective of caste, creed, nationality, and religion. This brother is the very embodiment of love. On this basis, the Vedas gave utmost importance to Truth and Righteousness. In the great epic Ramayana, Lakshmana personified the Principle of dharma. When he fainted in the battlefield, Rama lamented, saying that he could get a consort like Sita and a mother like Kausalya, but not a brother like Lakshmana. Rama said that His divinity blossomed because He had a brother like Lakshmana. (SSS Vol.31)
Compassion is the true friend.

In this world, a friend today may become an enemy tomorrow. But there is no greater friend than Compassion. Peace is the wife. Peace is the previous jewel of saints, and it is the royal path in
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The Mother Divine
the spiritual field. Forgiveness is the son. There is no greater quality than Forgiveness. It encompasses all the good qualities, like Truth, Righteousness, and Nonviolence, and it is the essence of all the Vedas. Therefore, for every individual, the true relations are Truth, Wisdom, Righteousness, Compassion, Peace, and Forgiveness. The whole world is full of agitation and disturbance because of lack of these sacred qualities. You should always remember your true mother and father. You cannot exist without them. The whole creation has emerged from Truth and merges back into it. There is no place where Truth does not exist. It is the good fortune of human beings to have this eternal Truth as their mother. But, today, humanity does not follow such a sacred mother. (SSS Vol.31)
Worship of Devi as divine mother

You worship Devi (goddess) in these nice days of Devi Navaratri. You consider Devi as your divine Mother. This Devi is called Sathya Swaroopini, which means she is the embodiment of Truth. So, worshiping Truth amounts to worshiping Devi. If you understand and follow this truth, you will be successful in every field. The Vedas also proclaim this Principle of Truth. There are many in this world who chant the Vedas. Many have gone through the sacred texts. But they do not seem to follow the right path. In fact, only when we tread the right path will we know the true meaning of the Vedas and the sacred texts.
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Since ancient times, the sages and saints undertook many spiritual practices in their quest for Truth. They were determined not to give up till they had the vision of Truth. Ultimately, they declared to the world that they had seen God, who is all brilliance, is full of effulgence, and is beyond the darkness of ignorance. They also declared that God is not far off in a distance land but is present in the human body. The saints had the vision of God, who is chinmaya (full of effulgence) in the body, which is mrinmaya (made of clay). So, we should not underrate the human body and use it for mean and worldly pleasures. The body is the temple of God. This body may be compared to an iron chest. Just as the precious jewels are kept in the iron chest, so also God is present in the human body. So, the body has to be maintained and made proper use of, for the sake of the precious jewel, the Atma. You get jewels only from the earth. Similarly, you have to search for the jewel of the Atma only in the body, which is made of clay. Let us investigate what comes in the way of experiencing the Atmic Principle. Ego and attachment stand as obstacles in our path. Only when you give up your ego and attachment will you have purity of heart, which in turn will lead you to the experience of Supreme Wisdom. The more you develop attachment, the more restless you become. Ego is much more dangerous. It has become an incurable disease in human beings. So, you have to keep ego and attachment under control and engage yourself in the quest of Atmic bliss.
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The Mother Divine
During Navaratri (sacred nine days), people go through the sacred texts such as Devi Bhagavatham, Ramayana, and Mahabharata. People also worship the deities Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. Goddess Gayatri has three aspects. They are: Gayatri, Savitri, and Saraswati. Gayatri is the presiding deity of our senses. Savitri is the presiding deity of the life principle. Saraswati is the presiding deity of speech. All these three are within the same Principle of Truth. Gayatri Mantra beings with Om Bhur Buvah Suvah. Bhur means materialisation (body), bhuvah means vibration (life principle), and suvah means Atma (radiation). During these nine days, Goddess Shakti (the Energy Principle) is worshiped. Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Forgiveness are all expressions of the Principle of Shakti. Truth is the primal cause. There is nothing other than this. All faculties of energy are present in this Truth. So, consider Truth as your mother and follow it. The Vedas proclaim, Sathyam vada; dharmam chara,which means: speak the truth and follow righteousness. Unfortunately, people today do not follow this. On the contrary, they follow asathya and adharma. (untruth and anti-dharma) This is the cause of all suffering. The ancients gave utmost priority to Truth and Righteousness. Before undertaking any work, they enquired whether it was right or wrong. They followed the dictates of their conscience. But today, such an attitude is lacking.
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The quest for Truth

Many people say that they are in search of Divinity. Once you follow the path of Truth, you will find Divinity everywhere. Here is a small example. The same eyes see the mother, daughter, wife, and sister. Here, you need to enquire as to what kind of feeling you should have toward each. This is the quest for Truth. Mother should be viewed with reverence and respect. Daughter should be considered as part of your own being. In this way, you should enquire and understand the Truth. If you just go by the direct evidence of what you see, you will never know the Truth. All that you see is bound to perish. There are many things that cannot be perceived by the naked eye. On the spiritual path, everyone wants pratyaksha pramanam (direct evidence). But direct evidence cannot constitute the entire Truth. For example, you see a person who is five feet five inches tall, weighing forty-five kilograms, and fair complexioned. All these can be seen by the naked eye. But you cannot go merely by these physical qualities. You should also take into consideration the unseen qualities, such as love, compassion, anger, etc. It is utter foolishness to go by the physical form, which is direct evidence. It is not possible to see the direct manifestation of God. Truth is everywhere. Dharma is everywhere. God, who is the embodiment of Truth and Righteousness, is everywhere. So, you should practice Truth and Righteousness and enjoy the bliss. (SSS Vol.31)
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Spiritual truth of Navaratri

Dasara is the festival that celebrates the victory of the forces of good over the foes that resist the progress of man towards light. The sages who have decided on these festivals have a high purpose. They want us to imbibe the inner meaning and use each such day as a step in sadhana, as a reminder of the journey which each person has to undertake alone to the Feet of the Lord. The forces of good (devas) are combating with the forces of evil (asuras) in every living being and if they only rely on MahaShakti, the great Divine Force that fosters and fends the Universe, they can easily win and reach the goal. (SSS Vol.6) , 15-10-1966
Inner Significance of Navaratri Festival

Navaratri means nine nights. Darkness is associated with night. What is this darkness? It is the darkness of ignorance. The purpose of the Navaratri celebration is to enable man to get rid of nine types of darkness which have taken hold of him. When a reference is made to Devi, it signifies the unified form of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. The three together represent Shakti. Shakti is the energy that accounts for all the phenomena of Prakrithi (Nature). Nature is energy and the controller of that energy is the Lord.
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Prakrithi (Nature) is made up of the three qualities, Satwa, Rajas and Tamas. Saraswati represents the Sathya Guna. Lakshmi represents the Rajo Guna and Parvathi represents the Tamo Guna. As Prakrithi (Nature) is made up of these three qualities (Satwa, Rajas and Tamas), to get control over Nature, man has been offering worship to Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. These are not goddesses but deified symbols of the three qualities. (SSS Vol.25), 27 Sep 1992
The role of Nature in the creative process

To acquire the grace of the Lord, man has to offer worship at the outset to Prakrithi. On the one hand you need human effort and on the other you have to acquire the grace of the Divine. Prakrithi (Nature) and Param Atma (the Omni-Self) are like the negative and positive poles in electricity. However powerful the Lord may be (as the positive pole), there can be no creation without Prakrithi (representing the negative pole). The basis for creation is Prakrithi. For instance, however good the seeds you may have with you, without planting them in the ground you cannot reap the fruit. The role of Nature in the creative process is similar. When man forgets God and desires to enjoy the benefits of Nature, he becomes ultimately a demon like Ravana who brought about his own destruction. To secure the grace of the Lord, one has to have purity of the heart, purity in speech and purity in action. This triple purity is described in Vedantic parlance as Tripurasundari. Lakshmi, who is the embodiment of all prosperity, is represented by the heart. The mouth represents Saraswati. Kriya Shuddhi (Purity in action) is represented by
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Durga. The observance of the Navaratri celebration is to get rid of the darkness in which man is enveloped, by cultivating the triple purity of thought, word and deed. The human body emerged from Nature. Nature has two forms: Apara Prakrithi and Para Prakrithi. Apara Prakrithi includes Ashta Aiswarya (eight forms of wealth), and Kama, Krodha, Moha, Lobha, Mada, Maatsarya and the three mental faculties in man: Manas, Chitta and Ahamkara. Para Prakrithi (the higher Nature) represents the consciousness in man. Without the Prana (life force) and Chaitanyam (consciousness) man is only a corpse. True humanness consists in controlling the five elements which make up the Apara Prakrithi (lower Nature) and merge in the higher Nature represented by the life force and Chaitanyam (consciousness). (SSS Vol.25), 27 Sep 1992
Maintain steadiness of mind during worship

The Navaratri has been divided into three parts the first three days being dedicated to the worship of Durga, the next three days to the worship of Lakshmi and the last three days to the worship of Saraswati. All Hindu festivals have a sacred purpose. Unfortunately, nowadays the festivals are observed only with external rituals without understanding their inner meaning. In the performance of all forms of worship there should be steadiness of mind and body. Only then concentration can be achieved. Today men are unable to maintain steadiness of body and mind. The basic significance of Devi Navaratri is the adoration of Prakrithi (Nature). Devi refers to Bhudevi (Mother Earth). All
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the vital requirements of man can be found in the earth. Those who travel to the moon have to carry with them the oxygen, water and food they need from the earth. None of these can be found on the moon. (SSS Vol.25), 27 Sep 1992
Adoration of Nature
The progress of modern technology, by polluting the atmosphere with Carbon dioxide smoke, is causing a threat to life on earth. This smoke has already created a hole in the ozone ring above the earth which has been serving as a protecting cover against harmful radiation from the sun. If the ozone layer is destroyed, the effect of the sun's rays may be disastrous. All nations are now worried about this threat. All that needs to be done to avert this danger is to reduce the pollution of the atmosphere caused by automobiles and industrial effluents. The uncontrolled development of industries has to be checked. Development should be in the common interest, to promote the welfare of all. The Navaratri celebration is an occasion for revering Nature and considering how natural resources can be used properly in the best interests of mankind. Resources like water, air, power and minerals should be used properly and not misused or wasted. Economy in the use of every natural resource is vital. Pollution of the air has many evil consequences. The inner significance of observances like Nagarasankirtan and bhajans is to fill the atmosphere with sacred vibrations and holy thoughts. (SSS Vol.25), 27 Sep 1992
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The power of Mantra

Today we know how radio and television broadcasts are transmitted to all parts of the world by radio waves. Is it unbelievable that Krishna was able similarly to appear in the homes of Gopikas simultaneously? If a Yantra (machine) could achieve such a result, how much more power should be attributed to Mantra? The power of the divine name and form is all pervading. The electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere can preserve sounds and forms for all time. When Swami was recently in Hyderabad, His activities there were seen on the TV in various parts of the country. If a mechanical contrivance could achieve this, is it incredible that much more could be done by the divine power of mantras? What is needed is the power to tune in to the Spirit just as appropriate tuning is needed to receive a radio or TV broadcast. Regard your heart as a radio receiver. Your concentration is the tuning device. You will experience the Divine when you tune your heart properly. This calls for firm, unwavering concentration. The inauguration of the Navaratri celebrations means that you should use this occasion for offering worship to Nature and resolving to make sacred use of all natural resources. (SSS Vol.25), 27 Sep 1992
Principle of oneness
The Navaratri festival is celebrated all over India, but nobody seems to make any effort to comprehend the inner significance of this festival. The Hridaya (heart) is the abode of the Atma. No being can exist without the principle of Atma. God, who resides in all as the principle of Atma, has no specific name and form.
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But, People attribute various names and forms to Him. The Gaanapatyas (worshippers of Ganapathi) consider Lord Ganapathi as great; the Shaivites consider there is none superior to Lord Siva. The devotees of Sai consider Him to be the greatest. Some devotees say all are one. In fact, all names and forms belong to the same God. He responds to the prayers of devotees in whatever form they worship Him. Hence, each one considers the form he worships to be superior to the other forms. It is a sign of ignorance to consider one form superior to the other. What is important is that your prayers should not be confined to mere words. They should be translated into action. It is easy to speak but not so easy to practice. True prayer is that which is translated into action. During the Navaratri celebrations, the Divine Mother is extolled in various names and forms. All names and forms are based on your feelings. God has no differences whatsoever. No one can comprehend the nature of Divinity. Actually, the principle of love that exists in all beings is the principle of Divinity. Love has no specific form. Divinity transcends name and form. Love is God. Live in love. Truth is God. Truth is all-pervasive. The creation emerges from truth and merges into truth, Is there a place where truth does not exist? Visualise such pure and unsullied truth. (Telugu Poem) There are no different truths for different countries such as American truth, Russian truth, Indian truth, Japanese truth, etc. Truth is one and the same for all. It is uniformly present in
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everyone. True celebration of Navaratri festival lies in contemplating on Sathya Swarupa (the embodiment of truth). Respect one and all, for; the divine Atma is present in all. To respect all is true worship. If you want to be respected, you should respect others in the first instance. Give respect and take respect. Understand the principle of oneness, that is Divinity. The Vedas declare, Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names). You may call Him by any name and form, but God is one. This principle of unity should be firmly installed in your heart. God is present in everyone in the form of love. Wherever you go, He is with you. He is the eternal witness. Share your love with others and receive their love in turn. Love is your greatest virtue. Love confers the ultimate joy and bliss. God resides in the heart filled with love. Hence, it is essential that you fill your heart with love. Where there is love, there is God. You don't need to search for Him. He is always in you, with you, around you, above you and below you. Adhere to the principle of love. Never hate anyone. Hatred is your worst enemy. Once you develop love in you, hatred will naturally vanish. If you were to come across your bitter rival, greet him with love. He too will reciprocate the same feeling. How can you expect love from others when you do not have any love for them? It is love and love alone that I practice and propagate. Try to understand the power of love. It is your greatest wealth. None can estimate its value. What does God expect from you? It is only your love.
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Love is the tax that you have to pay to God for all that He has given you. What is the inner significance of Devi Navaratri? People worship the Triune Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati during these nine days. Who is Durga? She is the embodiment of all powers. Saraswathi is the presiding deity of speech and wisdom. The Gayatri Mantra begins with Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah. Bhuh means materialisation. It represents matter, which is subject to change. Bhuvah represents life principle, i.e., vibration. Savitri is the presiding deity of life principle. You must have heard the story of Savitri, who restored her dead husband back to life with the power of her devotion and surrender. Saraswati is worshipped as Jnaana Devata as she confers good intellect and wisdom. This is described in the Vedas as Prajnanam Brahma. Prajnanam does not mean worldly knowledge. It is Constant Integrated Awareness, which is changeless and eternal. The Divine Mother has three names: Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati. Gayantham Trayathe Iti Gayathri (Gayatri protects those who sing her glory). Gayatri, being the presiding deity of our senses, helps us to master the senses. Savitri, being presiding deity the life principle, protects our life. Saraswati bestows on us the changeless and eternal wisdom. Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati are present in every man, but he is not able to understand and experience their presence. Consequently, he is giving room to wicked qualities and indulging in evil deeds, thereby ruining his life. His bad habits are responsible for his downfall. First of all, man has to develop good habits and
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transform himself. How could Savitri revive her dead husband back to life? She transformed the vibration by contemplating on God incessantly. That led to the resurrection of her husband. When you develop divine feelings, nothing is impossible for you. Any mighty task can be accomplished through pure and selfless love. Love develops divine power in you. Human being is the repository of divine energy. Durga (Goddess of Energy). Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) and Saraswati (goddess of Wisdom) are present in the human. Man is not weak or forlorn. He has all the capacity to experience divine bliss. In spite of being endowed with all powers, man is weak. This is the effect of evil company. You should not take it amiss, but the fact is that the modern system of education is ruining the lives of many. Modern education is leading to agitation instead of elevation. It is giving rise to evil qualities like anger, greed, desire, jealousy, etc. In fact, people who unlettered have the virtues of humility, obedience, love and peace. Humility is the hallmark of education. One may acquire high qualification, but all his knowledge becomes useless if he lack humility. You must manifest love and be embodiments of love. Love is God, live in love, you can achieve anything. Hence develop the spirit of love. Love is the most potent weapon that can win over anyone. What was the weapon that protected our ancients who lived in the forests? It was not hydrogen bomb or atom bomb; it is enough if one has the weapon of love. You can conquer the entire world with the power of love.
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People worship Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati during these nine days. Durga destroyed the demons. As the weapons are no longer needed, people perform Ayudha Puja. When we pray to Durga wholeheartedly, she will protect you in all your endeavours. You are not able to understand the principle of divinity. Nobody in this world can help you the way God helps you. Hence surrender yourself to God and pray for His help. Also devotion to God safeguards our ancient culture. People are haunted by misery and grief as they have forgotten God. Control your emotions. Develop love. Do not entertain evil thoughts. Nothing can confer the experience of bliss that proximity of God gives. Love all and all will love. (DD on 9.10.2002) On the eight day of Navaratri festival you enter into the worship of Saraswati. .All types of instruments and weapons and those things, which are used in ones profession, are all worshipped on that day. This illustrates the aspect of Sarva Devata Swaroopini, Kali. The inner meaning of all this is that everything in the world there resides the Divinity. Everything is pervaded with the Divine Vishwam Vishnu Swaroopam. This is not Mithya. This is the Truth. If you cultivate this feeling at all times, you attain to this Supreme State. Yad Bhavam Thad Bhavathi As you think, so it happens. We should develop good thoughts. All that we do should be transformed into worship. That is the secret of success in spiritual life.
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The Navaratri is celebrated in commemoration of the victory of Divinity (Daivathwam) over Satanity (Danavathvam) through intercession of the Maha-Shakti As Chandi, Durga and Kali; this day is Deepavali commemorating the victory of heavenly over hellish influences, of virtue over vice, as symbolized by the victory of Krishna Sathyabhama over Naraka asura, of the upward pull into Heaven and the Drag down into Hell. Mans career in this world is a perpetual struggle between the down dragging impulses and the elevating impulses. It is Dharmakshetra where the Kurukshetra battle is being waged from birth to death. Navaratri is celebrated in honour of the victory that the ParaShakti (the Goddess of Energy, immanent in the Microcosm and the Macrocosm) achieved over Asura of Evil Forces, as described in the Devi Mahatmyam and Devi Bhagavatham. That ParaShakti is in everyone as the Kundalini Shakti, which is able to destroy, when awakened, the evil tendencies inside the mind; so, the Navaratri is to be dedicated by all for the propitiation of the outer and the inner world may have peace and joy. By means of systematic spiritual exercises (Sadhana) it is possible to tap the inner resources that God endowed you with, and elevate yourselves to the purer and happier realm of the Reality. The Navaratri is the festival to commemorate the Victory of the Good over Evil. The Embodiment of Divine Power (of Para Shakti), in its various manifestations : Satwic, as Mahasaraswati, Rajasic, as Mahalakshmi, Tamasic as Mahakali, was able to overcome the forces of vice, wickedness and egoism, during the Nine Days struggle and finally, on Vijay Dasami Day (the tenth
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Day commemorating Victory), the Valedictory Worship is done. (NNSG Vol.8, pp. 68-70) As a part of Navaratri celebrations people worship different forms of divinity. You should develop sacred feelings and experience divinity. What is the inner meaning of Navaratri celebrations? These nine nights represent nine planets. Each planet has its own significance. However these planets are not outside, they are within. If your feelings are impure and unsacred, the result also will be the same. You are responsible for the good and bad you think and experience. They are not the products of the outside world. They are the reaction, reflection and resound of your inner being. Man faces vicissitudes of life as he is bound by these three. But he forgets these three and tries to search for solutions to his problems. He thinks he is highly intelligent. In fact that is not true intelligence. He lacks faith in divinity. That is real cause of his suffering. God is one. Likewise human beings are one though Akara (form) and Achaean (behaviour) may vary. But due to his narrow mildness, man is unable to understand this unity. Navaratri celebrations are symbolic of nine forma of energy. What we have to cultivate during this Navaratri is the feeling of oneness. Though there are nine forms of energy, the underlying truth in all of them is one and the same. That is the principle of the Atma. It is all pervasive. It is present not only in Human beings, but in all living beings. (DD on 17.10.04)
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Ways of Worship
During the Navaratri worship, you have to express your love to the Divine Mother in nine different ways. Shravanam (listening), Keerthanam (singing), Vishnusmaranam (contemplating on Vishnu), Padasevanam (serving His Lotus Feet), Vandanam (salutation), Archanam (worship), Dhaasyam (servitude), Sneham (friendship), Atmanivedanam (self-surrender). God wants your love and nothing else. Your love should not branch out in different directions. It should flow directly towards God. If you love others, you will be loved in turn. If you utter harsh words, they will come back to you as resound. Fill your heart with love and compassion. Hridaya is that which is filled with Daya (compassion). Compassion is the hallmark of a true devotee. One who lacks compassion cannot be called a human being. When you practice truth and righteousness, you will be successful in all your endeavours. That is why the Vedas teach, Sathyam Vada, Dharmam Chara (speak truth, practice righteousness). Your heart should melt with compassion when you see the poor and needy. Having spent this Navaratri in the worship of Divine Mother, your heart should be filled with love and compassion. The heart bereft of love and compassion is verily a cemetery. Right from dawn to dusk, love should be the undercurrent of all your activities. The moment you get up from bed, resolve that you would tread the path of love. Only then can you have the vision of God, who is the very embodiment of love. True spiritual practice lies in connecting love to love. Love can transform even a hard stone into butter. Swami always teaches the principle of love. It is enough if You call 'Baba' with love from the depth of
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your heart. He will come to your rescue. Consider love as your life breath. If there is no love in your prayer, it will prove futile. Love should be 'heartful' and not artificial. Be friendly with all and have a smiling countenance always. What is the use of talking sweetly if your heart is filled with bitterness? Only love can fill your heart with nectarous feelings. Your entire life is based on love. Without love, you cannot exist even for a moment. Hence, develop love considering it as the very form of God. Vijayadasami marks the culmination of Navaratri festival. Worship of Divine Mother is meant to destroy evil qualities and foster virtues in you. The more you distance yourself from evil, the nearer you will be to the principle of love. You don't need to make any efforts to acquire love. The moment you eschew evil, love will automatically enter your heart. There is love inherent in all of you. But, you are diverting it on worldly matters. True love is related to the Atmic principle. Worldly love is bound to change with the passage of time, whereas spiritual love is permanent. Even your breathing process speaks of the presence of love in you. When you inhale, you make the sound 'So' and When you exhale 'Ham'; together 'Soham' means, 'I am That'. The principle of 'I' is uniformly present in all. This can be experienced by following the nine paths of devotion. Never give scope for differences. Understand the unity, "I and You are one". Your love gets fragmented when you fail to visualize unity in diversity. There is only one heart, which is changeless. Your words may vary, but your heart remains steady. The Gopikas used to pray,
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O God, I offer you the heart which You have given me. What else can I offer at Your Lotus Feet? I pray to You I to accept it. (Telugu Poem) Heart is not your property; it belongs to God. There is nothing in this world that you can call as your own. You may consider the worldly wealth and materials as your property. But, they are not permanent. Lord Krishna declared, Anityam Asukham Lokam Imam Prapya Bhajasva Maam (as the world is temporary and full of misery, contemplate on Me constantly). Divine love alone is true and changeless. The mariner's compass always points towards northern direction; likewise your love should always be directed towards God. You cannot claim to belong to the mankind unless there is kindness in you. Your life should be suffused with love and kindness. You should dedicate your life to love. You may wonder as to how to pray to God. In fact, you don't need to pray to God. You should let your love flow incessantly towards God. Then you will understand the unity, "I and You are one." There is no second entity. You see the body but you don't understand the feelings associated with it. The body is made up of five elements and five senses. But you are not the body. The body is made up of five elements and is bound to perish sooner or later but the In-dweller has neither birth nor death.
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The In-dweller has no attachment whatsoever and is the eternal witness. In fact, the In-dweller who is in the form of Atma is verily God Himself. (Telugu Poem) You say it is my head, my heart, etc., then who are you? When you engage in self-enquiry in this manner, you will realize that YOU are different from the body. God pervades each anga (limb) of your body in the form of essence. Hence, He is extolled as Angirasaya Namah (salutations to the one who is in the form of essence in all my limbs). It is a mistake to confine God to a particular form. So long as you limit God to a form, you cannot attain Him. You should realize that God is attributeless, formless and He is the very essence of life. Physical form is bound to change. A child becomes a boy, boy becomes a man who in turn becomes a grandfather. In this manner, your physical form undergoes constant change. But you will remain the same. You are the embodiment of God. Once you understand this truth, you will not be affected by physical changes. Realize the Atma as your very life. Every one of you is endowed with divine energy. But you are misusing it. Your youth is in your hands. Your very life is in your hands. You are not the body; you are the life principle. Body is meant to serve as an instrument in your quest for truth. The same Atma is present in all. Here you see a silver tumbler with water. The tumbler is the basis for water, silver is the basis for tumbler and Divinity is the basis for silver. Divinity is not made up of material. Hence, give up the materialistic standpoint.
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Sage Viswamitra was taking Rama and Lakshmana along with him for the protection of the Yajna he had undertaken. When they reached the banks of Sarayu, he told them, "My dear ones, you are coming with me for the protection of Yajna. In order to do so, you have to remain without food and water and wage a fierce battle with the demons, for extended periods without respite. Hence, I will teach you two Mantras, which will make you free from hunger and sleep." This is the power of Maya. When King Dasaratha, fearing danger from the demons, was reluctant to send his sons with Viswamitra, the sage counselled him, saying, "Oh king, do not get deluded by seeing the physical forms of your sons. They are not ordinary mortals. They are verily divine." But when they reached the banks of Sarayu, the sage was overcome with Maya and taught them the Mantras as if they were ordinary humans. He told them, "Do not identify yourself with the physical body. You are the embodiments of the Atma. You are Chaitanyaswarupas. You are endowed with divine power. Always bear this in mind. You will be free from hunger and sleep." After the protection of the Yajna, Rama went to Mithila with the sage. They walked a long distance for sixteen days. Yet, Rama was always cheerful and full of bliss. In fact, bliss was His form. Hence develop bliss more and more. Do not confine God to a physical form. Body is made up of food materials. This body is a den of dirt, and prone to diseases; it is subject to change from time to time; it cannot cross the ocean of Samsara. It is nothing but a structure of bones.
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Oh mind! Do not be under the delusion that body is permanent. Instead take refuge at the Divine Lotus Feet. (Telugu Poem) It is a grave mistake to identify yourself with the body. Give up body attachment and develop Atmic consciousness. Only then will you understand and experience your true form, i.e., Atma. Otherwise, even the smallest physical ailments like stomachache, headache etc., will make you feel anxious. Physical ailments are like passing clouds. So long as you are deluded by body consciousness, you will be affected by them. Once you give up body attachment, you are no more bound by the body and its limitations. When you sit in meditation, you forget your body. Meditation means giving up Dehabhimana (body attachment) and developing Atmic awareness. Everyone While referring to one's self uses the term "I", the principle of Atma. Hence, you are not related to the body. It is only an instrument. "I" is your true identity. You may add any number of "I's", yet it will always remain "I". Such principle of unity is present in all. It is the same for you and Me. It has no difference whatsoever. If you do not give up Dehabhimana, all your education will prove futile. Understand that you are not the body. You are I. Never forget this truth. The physical form is bound to change. True Navaratri celebration lies in giving up Dehabhimana and developing Atmabhimana. You can see for yourself what an exalted position you will attain once you give up body attachment. You may be weak physically and mentally. But when you develop Atmabhimana, all your weaknesses will vanish in a trice. Establish yourself in the firm faith, "I am God". (SSS Vol.36), 05 Oct 2003
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Inner meaning of Dasara festival

The term "Devi" thus represents the Divine power which has taken the Rajasic form to suppress the forces of evil and protect the Satwic qualities. When the forces of injustice, immorality and untruth have grown to monstrous proportions and are indulging in a death-dance, when selfishness and self-interest are rampant, when men have lost all sense of kindness and compassion, the Atmic principle, assuming the form of Shakti, taking on the Rajasic quality, seeks to destroy the evil elements. This is the inner meaning of the Dasara festival. When the Divine Goddess is in dreadful rage to destroy the wicked elements, She assumes a fearful form. To pacify the dreaded Goddess, Her feminine children offer worship to Her with red kumkum (sacred red powder). The Goddess, seeing the blood-red kumkum at her feet, feels assured that the wicked have been vanquished and assumes Her benign form. The inner meaning of the worship of Devi with red kumkum is that thereby the Goddess is appeased. During the ten days of the Dasara, the Rakshasas (demons) in the form of wicked qualities have been routed. Rakshasas do not mean demonic beings. The bad qualities in men are the demons. Arrogance is a demon. Bad thoughts are demons. Ravana is depicted as the king of Rakshasas. He is said to have ten heads. He was not born with ten heads. Who is this Ravana and what are his ten heads? Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Moha (delusion), Lobha (Greed), Mada (pride), Maatsarya (Envy), Manas (the mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (Will) and Ahamkara (the Ego)-
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-these ten constitute the ten heads. Ravana is one who has these ten qualities. (SSS Vol.24), 18-10-1991 During the Navaratri festival Tripura Sundari is worshipped. Unfortunately, from ancient times people have been observing only the external forms of worship without understanding the inner significance of these festivals. The entire cosmos is a temple. The Lord pervades the cosmos. Prakrithi (Nature) teaches the spiritual truth about Navaratri. Realise the love of Sai through spiritual practice. The Lord has to be realised through sadhana. Sadhana does not mean adoring God in a particular place or in a particular form. It means thinking of God in all that you do wherever you may be. It may be asked whether this is possible. The answer is that it is possible by dedicating every action to God. During Navaratri there is a form of worship called Angaarpana Puja. In this form of worship, all the limbs of the body are offered to the Divine in a spirit of surrender Sharanaagathi. Surrender means offering everything to the Divine and giving up the idea of separation between oneself and the Divine. There can be no true surrender if them is a sense of separation. There must be the conviction that it is the same Divine who dwells in all beings--Eko Vasee Sarvabhutha-antharaathma.
The true meaning of Angaarpana Puja

In the performance of Angaarpana Puja, there is a form of selfdeception. When a devotee says, "Nethram Samarpayaami" (I offer my eyes to the Lord) and offers only a flower to the Lord,
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he is indulging in a kind of deception. The proper thing would be to say that he is offering a flower. Actually mantras like "Nethram Samarpayaami" are intended to indicate that one is using his eyes only to see God. The real significance of the Mantra is that you think of the divine in whatever you see or do. Therefore, the true meaning of the Angaarpana Puja is to declare that you offer all your limbs in the service of the Lord. This means that whatever work you do should be done as an offering to God. Nowadays selfishness is rampant among devotees and they love God not for God's sake but only to get their selfish desires fulfilled. As long as selfishness prevails, the Divine cannot be understood. The Navaratri festival should be used as an occasion to examine one's own nature whether it is human, animal or demonic, and strive to transform the animal nature to the human and divinise the human nature. Wisdom cannot be acquired from outside. It has to be got through inward Sadhana. Vyaamohas is the dust that settles upon the glass of the chimney of the lantern and dims the light. The attachment to sensual objects and to the pleasure they give is the soot that sticks to the inside of the chimney; that too dims the light. Clean the chimney by Naamasmarnam every day and the flame will shine for you and others. (SSS Vol.25), 6 Oct 1992
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NARAKAASURA is present in every one as kama, Krodha, Lobha (lust, hate, greed)and as bhaya and dhukha (fear and grief), which are against the very nature of man. Just as an umbrella with inferior cover, cannot protect you from rain, but only one with a waterproof cover, so too in this storm driven world incessantly flushed by-torrential rain, an umbrella with kama-proof and Krodha-proof covering is required. The five bhuthas (fire, earth, water, ether and wind) cannot harm one who is equipped with such protection. The five Durgas (fortresses) in which Narakaasura is said to have taken refuge are the five elements. There is great Avyatka Shakti (latent power) inherent in every one and when that Shakti is made Vyatka (explicit), man deserves to be called vyakti (individual). When that is made manifest. the asura (demon) will automatically be destroyed. Your reality is Atma; your quality is Ananda. What does it matter to you if the Narakaasura of the Puranas is killed, by Krishna and Sathyabhama? For you, Krishna is Paramatma (Super or Omni Self) and Sathyabhama is the jeevi (individual self). Paramatma destroys the evil propensities with the active collaboration of jeevi: jeevi defeats evil with the active Grace of the Lord. Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
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Index
Ahamkara ....................16, 45, 57 Angaarpana Puja.......... 8, 57, 58 Angirasa ................................... 33 Archanam ................................. 50 asthras ....................................... 21 Atmabhimana. ......................... 55 Atmanivedanam ...................... 50 Bhairavi .................................... 12 Buddhi .........................16, 26, 57 Chitta ............................16, 45, 57 Compassion ........... 8, 37, 38, 50 Dehabhimana........................... 55 divine mother ............... 8, 38, 39 Durga...... 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 34, 36, 41, 43, 44, 45 Female Principle ................. 7, 21 Forgiveness .................37, 39, 41 Ichcha-Shakti.................... 24, 25 Jnaana Shakti........................... 20 Kama ............................16, 45, 56 Keerthanam.............................. 50 Krishna ..... 4, 21, 34, 35, 47, 52 Kriya-Shakti ............................ 25 Krodha .........................16, 45, 56 Kurukshetra ............................. 35 Lakshmana .... 11, 15, 35, 38, 54 65 Lakshmi ... 4, 6, 7, 8, 13, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 29, 34, 36, 41, 43, 44, 45 Lalita ......................................... 12 Lobha ........................... 16, 45, 57 Maatsarya .................... 16, 45, 57 Mada ............................ 16, 45, 57 Mahishasura.................. 7, 17, 20 Manas .................... 15, 16, 45, 57 Moha ............................ 16, 45, 56 Navaratri.. 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 34, 36, 39, 41, 43, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 55, 57, 58 Nonviolence............................. 39 Padasevanam ........................... 50 Para Shakti ............................... 23 Prakrithi ... 7, 23, 24, 25, 43, 44, 45, 57 Prakrithi Shakti................... 7, 23 Rajas ....................................31, 44 Rama . 7, 11, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 27, 28, 35, 36, 37, 38, 54 Ravana ..... 7, 14, 15, 16, 20, 27, 44, 56 Righteousness .... 25, 38, 39, 41, 42
sadhana........................ 28, 43, 57 Saraswati.... 7, 8, 13, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 29, 34, 36, 41, 43, 44, 45 Satwa .................................. 31, 44 Shakti... 7, 9, 12, 17, 18, 20, 21, 24, 25, 34, 41, 43, 56 Sharanaagathi .......................... 57 Shiva ..................... 17, 18, 26, 27 Shravanam ................................ 50 Sneham...................................... 50
Sushumna ................................. 27 Tamas ................................. 31, 44 Truth .. 8, 25, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48 Vandanam ................................ 50 Vedas ..............38, 39, 41, 49, 50 Vijayadasami ... 7, 9, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 51 Vishnusmaranam .................... 50 Viswamitra ............................... 54
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Bibliography
Necklace of Nine Sai Gems (Vol. 8). (n.d.). Chennai: Sri Ram Printers. Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Vol. 21). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust. Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Vol. 39). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur District , Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust . Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Vol. 41). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust. Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (2nd ed., Vol. 6). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications Trust. Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Vol. 36). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh , India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust. Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Vol. 25). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur District , Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust .
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Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Vol. 24). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam Anantapur District, , Andhra Pradesh , India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust . Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Delivered during 1998 (First Edition ed., Vol. 31). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh , India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust. Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses Of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Delivered during 2000 (First Edition ed., Vol. 33). (n.d.). Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust . Sathya Sai Speaks: Discourses of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Delivered during 2001 (First Edition ed., Vol. 34). (2001). Prasanthi Nilayam,, Andhra Pradesh, India: Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust.
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Ascetic practices, years of constant recitation of the Name, pilgrimages to holy places and shrines, study of the sacred books these will not help the aspirant to spiritual victory as much as communion with the Godly and the good. Bharat is a rare treasure-house of spiritual jewels; it can confer all boons on the sincere. Bhagawan Sathya Sai Baba

Devi Navaratri: Worship of Devi As Divine Mother

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Worship of Devi as Divine Mother

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Devi Navaratri: An Introduction